I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
President Trump announced this afternoon that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has been relieved of his duties.
Watchers believed it was only a matter of time before Esper, who had been at odds with the President on a number of issues, was asked to resign.
Christopher C. Miller, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, will serve as Acting Secretary of Defense.
…Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
As rumors swirled that his tenure was coming to an end, Esper reportedly began helping members of Congress draft legislation that would remove names of Confederate leaders from military bases.